


Nine nights, Nine times, Nine sights

by YISagani



Category: Noli Me Tangere & Related Works - José Rizal
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas Fluff, F/M, M/M, Modern, elibarra - Freeform, inaantok na ako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-28 14:58:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17185157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YISagani/pseuds/YISagani
Summary: It's the most wonderful time of the year where people attend the novena for Christmas or popularly known as the Simbang Gabi.





	Nine nights, Nine times, Nine sights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [moonjunhoon (jungyushuas)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jungyushuas/gifts).



> Simbang Gabi with Cris and Clara, ya'll. We're going to be holy hoOoly HOEly.

It was that season again. The season where churches will surely be filled with people. And there is only one reason for the churches being filled at this time.

Simbang Gabi.

He sighed and felt a hand touch his shoulder. He need not to see who tried to comfort him. It was Clara for sure.

"That was a deep one," she stated and looked at him with worried eyes. He just shook his head, removing the negativity slowly consuming him.

"People tend to just attend mass during this season," he muttered and Clara held his cheek.

"That should be something good, right?"

"How about the ordinary Sundays?"

"Faith in God isn't measured with our attendance in masses. You ought to put that in mind, Cris."

"Fair point."

It was the **first night**. The first mass. And as the observant man that he is. He glanced around the church for new faces, and alas he saw one, a man that looked a year or two older than he and Clara.

He sat at the farthest part, near the church's corner and looked ahead of him. He was someone new to Cris, it might be the first time that the latter met the strange man, especially with his almost perfect attendance during masses.

The man's caricature wasn't Cris' norm. It was informal, slouched back and crossed legs. He knotted his forehead. Crossing one's legs inside the church is disrespectful along with crossing of arms.

When Clara noticed Cris' expression of distaste, she chuckled and touched his forehead.

However, the man's attire was near his taste, black slacks and a white long sleeve polo. Not that bad.

+

Cris somehow forgot the strange man he saw on the first night but when he entered with Clara on the **second night** , he saw him once again on his same spot as yesterday, the only difference was his clothes, it shocked him a bit. The man used to have a neat hair style, now it was messy, but Cris knew that it looked much better than the neat one.

His attire on the other hand was a tad bit scandalous for the Catholic church because the first three buttons of his checkered polo was unbuttoned, revealing his bare chest. The man sported a cowboy look and Cris had to admit, this attire matches the strange man's aura and physical appearance.

+

On the **third night** , Cris was already expecting him to be at the same spot. And only then did he realize how odd for the man to be alone in a season for families, gift giving and love. Cris was not alone in attending the Simbang Gabi, he's always with Clara. He shrugged the thought off and chose not to trouble himself with the what not’s of the man.

Cris wasn't sure if he actually felt disappointment that he did not see the man on the same spot or even that night.

_Sayang 'di niya makukumpleto._

_Teka, ako ang nanghihinayang para sakanya?_

There was a myth about Simbang Gabi in their culture, that when one finishes the novena, whatever he wishes for would come true.

This is none of his business, right?

Or so a part of him thought?

+

"You seem to be troubled this past few days, are you alright?" Clara asked while smoothing a crumpled part of his suit. He shook his head at her and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Is it the man who sat at the farthest pew near the corner that troubles you?"

"How did you know?"

"You're predictable, Cris," she whispered and clutched his hand. Clara pouted her lips at a certain direction and Cris followed to what she was pointing. It was the strange man, the strange handsome man. Clara smirked in seeing the sudden twinkle in Cris' eyes that he himself may not have noticed.

They then sat at their same spot for the fourth time and the **fourth night** of the Simbang gabi was celebrated.

+

The celebration for the **fifth night** has just ended with the loud applause of the people after responding a 'Thanks be to God.'

"I suddenly realized something," Clara stated as they were walking home.

"And that is?"

"Your life is a little patterned with that of Dr. Jose Rizal's novel." Cris lifted his brow that made her chuckle.

"Let me tell you certain points. One, you are literally named after the novel's protagonist." He nodded his head. True enough, he was named Crisostomo Ibarra for some reasons he did not want to know.

"Two, you're an orphan and a bachelor. Three, you studied for 7 years at an international school on the North-"

"We had communication."

"Still, we didn't see each other in that duration."

"Fair enough."

But not letting his defenses down.

"If my life is a tad bit patterned with that of Rizal's novel, then I should've met my Elias by now," he challenged as he emphasized the adjective, my.

"Your Elias?" she asked in an amused manner.

"Elibarra is canon, dearest Clara," he said huskily. She scoffed at this which made Cris wrap his arms around her shoulders while his lips slowly formed a smirk.

"I suddenly remember those days, when you called only to bawl out why Elias died instead of Ibarra." Cris' smirk vanished in that instant.

"Don't remind me of that." They looked at each other for at least a second before they burst out laughing.

+

"The peace of the Lord be with you all."

"And with your spirit."

"Let us now offer each other the sign of peace. Peace be with you." People inside the church greeted each other by bowing their heads at each other and some others by kissing their loved ones or the elderly, on the hands or on the cheek.

Cris and Clara shared a bow. It was their sixth time doing it in that novena and it was the **sixth night** already. Clara offered her peace to other people and she came eye to eye with the man Cris has been observing for days. She smiled and lightly bowed her head to offer her peace.

+

"Now, look what you've done," Cris said hinting disappointment from his voice.

"I said I was sorry," she responded while looking for an available seat inside the church. She wasn't really sorry for what she has done, to be honest.

"You never wake up late, Clara."

"Well, now I do." Clara purposely woke up late so that they may have the place near that strange man, Cris was eyeing for the past few days.

After six days-or nights, Clara knew she has to act on something. The strange man that Cris was observing got the looks. He could even pass Cris' handsome looks. His eyebrows that were thick but shaped perfectly natural, his aristocratic nose that complimented his lips that was thin on the upper and full on the lower. Plus, the overall physique of the man had muscles placed on the right places. He seemed like someone carved out from a Greek or Roman mythology.

The **seventh night** might be a little different from the past ones. Clara was not that attentive on the readings and the priest's homily. She was mustering the confidence to do something brazen.

And that is to grasp the strange man's hand during the singing or praying of the Lord's prayer. She widened her eyes when she realized the mass proper was near there.

"At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say."

Hands shaking and heart thumping, she looked at the man beside her.

"May I?" she asked, barely audible. The man faintly smiled and held her hand. That's the moment she felt a nudge on her other side, she didn't mind Cris' harsh retrieving of his hand.

She didn't know specifically when people started to join hands during the praying of the Lord's prayer, the only thing she knows is that the gesture of joining hands while praying or singing wasn't written on the mass proper. She knew that Cris was strict with the gestures in the Roman Catholic Missal. Even with this tiny detail, she knew he'd be pissed if she disobeyed it.

"What are you doing?" he muttered rather harshly and gripped her hands tighter.

"Give us this day our daily bread."

"Clara."

"And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us."

Little did Clara know, that it wasn't her sudden disobedience on the proper gestures on the missal that alerted Cris, but the move she did on holding the strange man's hand.

+

"Isn't this the loveliest thing?" Clara asked while holding up their house keys, but the keys were not what she was pertaining to.

"What is?"

"The keychain," she beamed and stretched her arm so Cris may fully see the loveliest thing.

"Isn't that a cartoon character?"

"Yes! You know the crocodile named tick tock in Disney's Peter Pan? Here it is! Papa bought it to me when he went to Japan as a pasalubong."

"It is, indeed, lovely." And quick as lightning, he snatched Clara's house keys duplicate and ran on his way to the church for they will attend the **eight night** celebration of the Simbang Gabi. Clara grunted and ran after him to retrieve it.

At first, she was really annoyed at Cris' move but when she noticed that he tripped himself over and hit the man he was observing for the past nights. She felt even with Cris.

He reaped what he sowed. Good for him.

She laughed inside her head and rushed at Cris.

"I'm sorry," he apologized while removing the dust from his clothes. The man picked up Clara's keys and viewed it.

"Crocodile," he quipped with a tiny smirk plastered on his lips, which made Clara and Cris' jaw slightly drop. He handed it over to Cris and he turned his back.

_My name is Clara._

She thought to say for she wanted to introduce herself to him.

+

Synonymous on the first night the church is filled with people for it was at last, the **ninth night**. And with every synonymous feeling ever Cris felt the pet peeve.

Some faces are familiar to him and some are not he'd probably give them the benefit of the doubt. He shouldn't frustrate himself though, the mass had just finished and everyone was giving their greetings.

"You're back at it again," she said while holding back a chuckle. They had no seat and they could only resort to the spot they had for the past two nights, beside the strange man.

Cris and Clara genuflected at the same time when the priest bowed his head on the altar. Cris then turned his back and decided to greet the churchmen on the sacristy, but he was stopped on his track when Clara held his arm and dragged him somewhere he wasn't informed to.

"What the-" Cris glanced at Clara who was looking at someone.

"Wait!"

Cris tried looking to where Clara’s eyes were directed to see the strange man’s back. The latter stopped and faced them.

"Merry Christmas, Clara," he greeted with a smile. Cris raised his brow.

_How did this man know her name?_

"You must've whispered your thoughts last night when I turned my back," the man explained that bewildered Cris. This man could read minds.

"Your faces are selling you off," he stated and ran a hand to his jet black hair.

"And you must be?" Cris asked, diverting the topic.

"Elijah."

“My friends call me Cris.”

“Aquino?”

“Nag-joke ka ba?” The former asked with squinted eyes.

_Ang corny n’on. Pwede nang ilibing. Condolence to it._

"Well, Elijah. To be frank with you, my good friend here named Crisostomo Ibarra" Clara started and pulled Cris near her, "has been eyeing you the whole duration of the novena."

"What?" Elijah asked, amusement evident on his eyes. Cris has never felt embarrassed (or ibarrased if he had decided to make a pun out of it) and only Clara could do that to him. He's blushing and he won't deny that!

"Is that supposed to be a good thing?" Elijah inquired while rubbing his index finger to his lower lip, trying to hide his smile.

"And as for me, I'll leave you two here to have a good getting to know each other moment, treat this as my gift, enjoy and merry Christmas!" Clara beamed and tapped both the men's shoulder before she ~~(yeeted)~~ skipped out of the scene. Cris has mentioned about Elibarra being canon on the fifth night, little did he know that Clara believes in that too and she ships the century old characters harder than diamonds.

"I'm sorry-"

"About that-"

"You go first."

"It's okay."

Fuck. Cris thought and just offered his hand for a hand shake and realized how dumb he looked. Does Elijah look like a business deal to him?

_Partly._

Wait- what?

"Crisostomo Ibarra," he introduced and used his other hand to rub the back of his neck. He felt really awkward. "I know my name sounds funny."

Elijah held Cris' hand for the hand shake. Both must have felt the sudden electricity running through their veins when their hands touched and it seemed that only the two of them existed on that world.

Cris has only read about these things on books and he would most likely consult Science for such happenings. He never felt these with Clara, which kind of frustrated him.

_What's wrong with my body?_

"Now, that you've mentioned." They let go of each others’ hand. Cris looked directly at Elijah's eye and he has to admit that they were hypnotizing.

"My real name sounds funny as well," Elijah started and placed his hands inside his pockets, "But then I kind of appreciated it when I heard yours."

Cris could swear on every stone on the cobblestone path they were standing on that his heart was anticipating. It was thumping in an abnormal pattern.

He ought to know! He studied pre-med.

"What is your real name?" Cris asked even though he already suspected what Elijah's real name would be.

_"If my life is a tad bit patterned with that of Rizal's novel, then I should've met my Elias."_

_Bakit ang lakas ng pakiramdam ko sa totoong pangalan niya?_

"Elias."

_Sabi ko na nga ba._

And Cris' world seemed to stop.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi moot! Rinegaluhan mo kasi ako ng fic kaya regaluhan din kita ahie AHAHAHAHAHA


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